Speculum

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates generally to improvements in inspection instruments or speculums used for dilating passages in the human body. And more particularly, to instruments of the above-mentioned type which may be plastic molded and hence produced at an extremely low cost. An embodiment of the invention disclosed herein comprises a pair of upper and lower pivotally coupled elongate jaw members and a handle section integral with each jaw member and extending generally laterally therefrom. A series of notches in one of the handle sections is adapted to interlock with lug means on the other handle section, said lug means being maintained in interlocking position as an incident to external pressures tending to close the jaw members.

United States Patent Pestka et al.

[451 Mar. 21, 1972 [54] SPECULUM [72] Inventors: John A. Pestka, Park Ridge; James A.

Huggins, Racine, both of Wis.

[73] Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc., Chicago, Ill.

[22] Filed: Feb. 2, 1970 [2l] Appl. No.: 7,921

Primary Examiner-Lucie H. Laudenslager Attorney-Olson, Trexler, Wolters & Bushnell, Robert W. Beart, Michael Kovac, Barry L. Clark and Jack R. l'lalvorsen [5 7] ABSTRACT The present invention relates generally to improvements in inspection instruments or speculums used for dilating passages in the human body. And more particularly, to instruments of the above-mentioned type which may be plastic molded and hence produced at an extremely low cost. An embodiment of the invention disclosed herein comprises a pair of upper and lower pivotally coupled elongate jaw members and a handle section integral with each jaw member and extending generally laterally therefrom. A series of notches in one of the handle sections is adapted to interlock with lug means on the other handle section, said lug means being maintained in interlocking position as an incident to external pressures tending to close the jaw members.

6 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEUMAR21 |972 3,650,266

SHEET 1 OF 2 f, I I, I "I I I SPECULUM One of the difficulties which has been experienced in the use of prior devices of the general type contemplated hereby is that of maintaining the dilating jaws of the instrument open during the period of examination. It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a manually operable examining instrument in which the dilating jaws will automatically become locked in a predetermined open or separated position.

More specifically, the present invention contemplates the provision of an inexpensive throw away type plastic molded device in which the jaws, as an incident to external pressures tending to close them, will establish an interlock which will maintain a predetermined degree of jaw separation until said jaws are intentionally released.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved instrument of the type referred to above, having a novel and extremely practical combined pivotal coupling and interlock feature which may be embodied in one piece jaw structures.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages will be more apparent from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a speculum which is representative of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical, central sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 1, said section being taken substantially along the line 22 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the speculum taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical, sectional view similar to FIG. 2, illustrating the manner in which the upper jaw member may be elevated and thereby separated from the companion lower jaw member;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, detailed sectional view of the handle sections of the speculum said view being taken substantially along the line 5--5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the handle sections taken substantially along the line 66 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the speculum.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like numerals have been employed to designate similar parts throughout the various figures, it will be seen that one embodiment of an instrument or speculum of the type contemplated hereby is designated by the numeral 10. The instrument 10 includes a lower elongate jaw of finger l2, and a handle section 14 extending generally laterally from the right extremity of the jaw 12 as viewed in the drawings. The instrument 10 also includes an upper elongate jaw or finger member 16, which is cooperatively disposed and complementary with respect to the lower jaw member 12. Extending laterally from the right extremity of the jaw 16 is a handle section 18. The handle section 14 is generally U-shaped in transverse cross section thereby presenting a pair of spaced walls 14a. The handle section 18 also presents a pair of spaced walls 18a which are adapted to superimpose and slidably accommodate the external surfaces of the walls 140. Extending below and formed integral with the walls 18a, is a jaw actuator 18b. The function of this actuator 18b will be more apparent as the description progresses.

The handle sections 14 and 18 are pivotally coupled through the agency of a transverse pivot pin 18c, the outer projecting portions of which extend into companion slots 14b provided in each of the walls 140. Assuming that the pivot pin [8c is positioned in the lower extremities of the opposed slots 14b, and that the jaws l2 and 16 are closed, as shown in FIG. 1 and 2, and that the users thumb is pressed against the outer knurled or roughened surface of the actuator member 18b. This will cause the jaw member 16 and its companion handle section 18 to occupy the dotted line position shown in FIG. 2. As the lower extremity of the handle or arm 18 moves to the above-mentioned dotted line position, a pair of opposed outwardly extending lug members 18d pass through an opening 14c and ultimately come to rest as shown in FIG. 2.

After the lugs 18d have been shifted so as to cause the jaws l2 and 16 to open, as indicated in FIG. 2, greater separation of the jaws will result from upward shifting of the handle section 18 with respect to the handle section 14. If shifted from the lowermost to its uppermost position as shown in FIG. 4, the lugs 18d will have been moved within and guided by a slot 14d which is spaced downwardly from and extends in substantial parallelism with the previously mentioned slot 14b. An intermediate position of the jaw 16 and its associated handle section 18 is indicated by dot and dash lines in FIG. 4. It will be apparent that when the lugs 18d reach their uppermost position, external pressures tending to close the jaws l2 and 16 will cause said jaws to pivot, thereby urging the lugs 18d into interlocking relation with the uppermost of a plurality of vertically spaced notches 14c. Thus, when in use, the normal tendency for body tissues to contract and thereby urge the jaws 12 and 16 toward each other, is counteracted by the locking association of the lugs 18d with one of the notches Me. This serves to maintain an open area through which visual inspection may be made in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4.

The position occupied by the users hand in manipulating the instrument 10 is illustrated in FIG. 4. The thumb is employed to engage the outer roughened surface of the actuator member 18b and the other fingers engage the outer knurled or roughened surface of the handle section 14. The structural design of each jaw and handle section is such as to permit these parts to be plastic molded as a single integral unit. As previously mentioned, this enables the speculum to be produced at very low cost. In fact, in instances where desired, the instrument may be used as a throw away device.

In initially assembling the two parts, the opposite extremities of the pivot pin 18c of the handle section 18 are first inserted within the oppositely disposed slots 14b of the handle section 14 and moved downwardly to the position shown in FIG. 2. The users thumb may then pivot the actuation member 18b forwardly so as to carry the lugs 18d through the companion recesses 14c and into their respective slots 14d. The instrument is now ready for adjustment to the desired degree of jaw separation. This is accomplished by shifting the handle section 18 linearly upwardly with respect to the handle section 14, while the users thumb is pressed against the actuator member 1812. During this linear shifting movement the extremities of the pivot pin 18c are guided by the slots 14b and the lugs 18d are guided by the slots 1411. When the desired extent of separation of the jaws 12-16 is reached, release of pressure against the actuator member 18b, results in the immediate interlocking of the lugs 18d with one of the notches 14c, due to external pressure experienced by the jaws. It will be apparent from the foregoing that the speculum contemplated by the present invention may be assembled and disassembled with case, may be manipulated with facility and may be produced very economically.

We claim:

1. A speculum having cooperatively disposed complementary upper and lower elongate jaw members, a handle section connected with each jaw member, said handle sections extending generally laterally of their respective elongate jaw members at one extremity thereof, pivot and slot means coupling said handle sections for relative pivotal and sliding movement in actuating said jaw members to predetermined positions, and latch means spaced along the handle sections from said pivot and slot coupling means and including spaced notch means on one handle section and lug means on the other handle section selectively engageable with notch means for positive maintenance of the jaw members in predetermined laterally separated latched relation under influence of external pressures on the jaw members tending to close the same, and said lug and notch means being releasable from mutual engagement on squeezing pressure applied to the handle sections for permitting relative sliding movement between the pin and slot coupling means to vary the predetermined spaced positions of the jaw members.

2, A speculum as set forth in claim 1, wherein the means for maintaining the jaw members in separated relation is positioned below said coupling means.

3. A speculum as set forth in claim 1, wherein the means for maintaining the jaw members in separated relation includes a plurality of notches associated with one of the handle sections and positioning means associated with the other handle section for interlocking with said notches, said notches and interlocking positioning means being spaced from said coupling means.

4. A speculum as set forth in claim 1, wherein the coupling means includes pivot pin means carried by the handle section of the upper jaw member and slot means in the other handle 

1. A speculum having cooperatively disposed complementary upper and lower elongate jaw members, a handle section connected with each jaw member, said handle sections extending generally laterally of their respective elongate jaw members at one extremity thereof, pivot and slot means coupling said handle sections for relative pivotal and sliding movement in actuating said jaw members to predetermined positions, and latch means spaced along the handle sections from said pivot and slot coupling means and including spaced notch means on one handle section and lug means on the other handle section selectively engageable with notch means for positive maintenance of the jaw members in predetermined laterally separated latched relation under influence of external pressures on the jaw members tending to close the same, and said lug and notch means being releasable from mutual engagement on squeezing pressure applied to the handle sections for permitting relative sliding movement between the pin and slot coupling means to vary the predetermined spaced positions of the jaw members. CM,2Eculum as set forth in claim 1, wherein the means for maintaining the jaw members in separated relation is positioned below said coupling means.
 3. A speculum as set forth in claim 1, wherein the means for maintaining the jaw members in separated relation includes a plurality of notches associated with one of the handle sections and positioning means associated with the other handle section for interlocking with said notches, said notches and interlocking positioning means being spaced from said coupling means.
 4. A speculum as set forth in claim 1, wherein the coupling means includes pivot pin means carried by the handle section of the upper jaw member and slot means in the other handle section for accommodating said pivot pin means.
 5. A speculum as set forth in claim 1, wherein said notch means opens to a longitudinal slot into which said lug means is shiftable upon squeezing the handle sections to permit unencumbered position thereof along the said slot for engagement thereof with selected notch means to vary initial spacing of the jaw members by relative sliding movement between the pivot and slot coupling.
 6. A speculum as set forth in claim 5, wherein movement of the lug means into the slot is with slight separation of the jaw members. 